TAke Down
by sototallyrandom
Summary: A's wrath is coming down on Aria, and it's starting to get dangerous. Will everyone make it alive?
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE: this is a SEQUEL. If you haven't read my other story Aria's on A Short LeAsh, go do that now. If you don't, I can't guarantee that you'll understand anything in this story.**

**For those of you that HAVE read Aria's on A Short LeAsh, I know lots of you have PMed me or reviewed waiting for this sequel, so I hope you enjoy! **

**Shout out to ****Lala-Pll-Time****, who always supports all my writing! :P **

**Happy reading! -sototallyrandom**

**Quick recap:**

_"To the fact that now, finally,_

_a black hoodie is just a piece of clothing,_

_black gloves are for keeping your hands warm,_

_a text is from a friend,_

_and that A is finally just a letter." I say. We all smile._

_"Game over." Spencer says. "We win."_

_"Game over." I repeat with a smile._

Aria's POV

We all take a drink from the cups and continue to have a good time. A is finally gone. Ezra kisses the top of my head and pulls me into a hug. Hanna giggles, and Caleb kisses her. I'm just SO happy. My phone buzzes, and a second later every other phone in the room buzzes with mine. Eight phones buzzing at once.

"That has to be a coincidence." Emily says. Spencer is the only one who dares to pick up her phone.

"_You took down a fourth of my team, so I'll take out a fourth of yours. You can probably guess which two I'm taking down. Congratz to the six of you that make it out. Kisses, -A_" Spencer reads.

"No." I say. "This CANNOT be happening." Ezra pulls me tighter against him protectively. We all sit in silence while I start to panic.

"I think one of the targets is Aria." Hanna says what I'm sure we're all thinking.

"Aria beat them at their game THREE times, they're probably getting mad." Emily says. Everyone looks at me, and it makes me even more nervous.

"Aria, we'll all be fine. Don't worry." Ezra tells me. He runs his fingers through my hair.

"I can't believe there are still six more A's." Caleb says.

"What?" Ezra says, confused.

"A said that we only took down a fourth of the A team. If two was a fourth, there are still six left." Caleb explains.

"Maybe we shouldn't be asking who IS a, we should be asking who ISN'T A." Toby says sarcastically.

"Who do you think target number two is?" Spencer asks. We all think about it, but we have no idea.

"Ok, we need to make this rule. None of the girls are allowed to be alone. Ever." Toby says.

"Well that's sexist." Hanna says.

"Well what would you guys do if a male A jumped you? Makeup them to death?" Caleb asks.

"So, Emily and I have to go on a date with one of you following us around?" Paige asks, annoyed.

"That or it has to be a double date." Ezra says. Wow. I didn't think he would be the one to enforce this new Team Liars rule. Paige and Emily groan.

"I am so tired of A." I say.

A's POV

The Liars are so stupid. I'm watching them through the window of Spencer's barn and watching their reaction. If I was Ezra, I would never just sit there when Aria was threatened. I would hide her away with me so no one could hurt her. I see my reflection in the glass.

_I don't want to be Jason anymore._ I think. I want to be Ezra. I'm so jealous. I save Aria's life, and he gets the girl? How is that fair? Once again I'm roped into the A team with death threats. There are still five others, so I can't just ditch them or I'll get killed. I want to join the Liars, but that wouldn't help me protect Aria. I will win her over this time. I know it.

A's POV

I'm watching Jason watch the Liars, and I know he's focusing on Aria. He wants to keep her safe. That's not going to happen. Once we get Aria and target number two, he's off the A team. Ditched. Literally. We're killing him and throwing him in a ditch. I smirk at the thought. The Top A promised me the right to kill Aria. I've been waiting for that for a long time.

**IMPORTANT: I'm holding a vote for who target number two is! Review your vote! Pick one of the following:**

**Spencer**

**Hanna**

**Emily**

**Caleb**

**Toby**

**Paige**

**Ezra**

**Hope you liked the story 'premiere'! Review and let me know what you think! Sorry for the short length, I always make the first chapter short until I know for sure people want me to continue, so don't worry, the later chapters should be my usual 1,500 words per chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**SO. I counted up my PMs and reviews and had a four way tie! I was about to get a spinner to randomly pick one but I got one last vote that broke the tie. So here it is! Happy reading!**

**-sototallyrandom**

Aria's POV

I shiver and pull out of my sleep. It's getting cold in Spencer's barn because the door is open. The door is open! I jump up and shut it before coming back to my spot on the couch with Ezra. Except Ezra's not there.

"Ezra?" I whisper. I look around and try not to wake everyone else but I'm starting to get worried. I shake Spencer's shoulder and both Spencer and Toby groan.

"Guys!" I whisper. "Ezra's gone!" I tell them. Spencer and Toby shoot up out of their sleeping bag.

"The door was also open." I tell them. They give each other a glance and I know what they're thinking, because I'm thinking the same thing.

Maybe Ezra is target number two. The door to the barn slides open and Spencer and I scream. Toby covers up our mouths with his hands, but everyone else has already jumped up. Ezra walks in the door and I sigh with relief. I run up to him sobbing and throw my arms around him.

"Aria, are you ok?" He asks me.

"I… I thought A took you." I sob, and everyone else starts to calm back down.

"False alarm." Toby tells everyone. Everyone starts going back to sleep after making sure we're alright. Ezra and I sit back down on the couch.

"Shhhh." He comforts me as he strokes my hair. I lean against his chest and let his strong arms hold me close.

Jason's POV

I see Ezra holding Aria and her crying, and I am infuriated. Aria should be mine. I risked my life to save her! I love her more than that teacher rapist ever could. I want to hurt Ezra so bad. I know I'm going to pay for it later, but I leave the window and pick up a huge rock. I take out a lipstick that I have for the A team for writing on things, and I write A on the large rock. It's about five times the size of my hand. I swing it back and forth a few times, aim at Ezra's head, and throw the rock through the window. The glass shatters and I run.

Ezra's POV

Everyone is still half way awake, and I think Aria is pretending to sleep in my arms. I can tell she is awake because of how fast her heart is beating. I hear glass shatter and turn my head towards the noise, but I can't figure out what's going on. Aria cries out in pain and I turn back towards her, confused.

"Aria!" Emily shouts and runs over.

"Aria? Are you ok?!" I ask her. She shakes her head no and holds her right arm up with her left.

"what just happened?" I ask no one in particular, but everyone is right beside Aria and I, so I expect someone to give me an answer. The girls are holding Aria's arm and trying to calm her down.

"A rock flew through the window and hit her in the shoulder." Toby says.

"Guys look." Paige says, staring at the ground. We all freeze and turn around, and there is a giant rock on the ground. Caleb kicks it over with his foot and we see a smudged A written in lipstick. Aria gasps, then closes her eyes tight.

"Everything's going to be ok." I comfort her. I pick her up even though it's not her legs that are hurt and carry her out to my car.

"Everyone meet at the hospital." I say. Everyone gets into a car with their boyfriends except Emily. She's starting to get in a car with just Paige, but I give them a look. They sigh before locking her car again and getting into mine.

"I don't need to go to the hospital Ezra, I'll be fine." Aria says as I put her down in the passenger seat of the car.

"You're lying Aria. I had a shoulder injury remember? I know it hurts like bitch. You're just not saying so." Emily says. Aria looks down and doesn't say a word.

Aria's POV

Emily's right. It does hurt like bitch, but I don't want to worry anyone. We're all terrified of when A is going to make their move, and I didn't want to add anymore worry or fear. I feel like this is my fault for getting the A team so angry. We get to the hospital, and everyone is already waiting for us in the lobby.

"Are you ok Aria?" Hanna asks. I just nod and follow the nurse that waved me over. Ezra tries to follow me, but a nurse makes him stop.

Emily's POV

I know how Aria feels. It hurts A LOT. I'm starting to fall asleep when Aria walks back out. She's wearing a sling.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her. Everyone else has already fallen asleep.

"Like shit. But I'm fine." She says with a laugh.

"It's two am. Should we call the party quits?" I ask, motioning to all the sleeping bodies around me. Aria gives a laugh.

"Yeah, I think we should all just go home." I say. Aria walks across the lobby to go wake Ezra up.

Ezra's POV

I'm driving Aria back to my apartment for the night, because everyone was going home. Except for Emily and Paige. They have to stay at Spencer's. It's for their own safety. Aria is sound asleep, and I just let her sit there with her head resting against the window. When we get to my apartment I gently wake her up.

"Aria, we're back. Let's go up to my apartment." I tell her. I would just carry her but I'm afraid of hurting her shoulder. We both get out and walk towards the apartment building.

"Wait, I forgot my phone it's in the car." I say, and walk back to my car. I'm leaning in the driver's side door when a hand reaches around my head and shoves a cloth into my face. I try to hold my breath, but I start to fade. _ARIA!_ I try to shout out to her, but I'm too far gone to make a noise. I look her way and see a man sneaking up on her. I fall to the ground and try to shout out to her, but I can't. The man grabs her around the waist and she screams. The last thing I see is him lifting her up, then throwing her down before her head slams into the sidewalk.

Spencer's POV

While I'm driving home I chat with Paige who's in the backseat because Toby and Emily are asleep.

"So Aria's going to be ok?" She asks.

"Yeah, the nurse said she just needed to take it easy." I say.

"I'm not talking about the nurse." Paige tells me.

"Oh." I mutter. "She has Ezra to protect her." I say. Paige tries to lighten the mood.

"And we have the great and powerful…" She says, and Toby snores at perfect timing. Paige and I crack up as we pull into my driveway. I think Aria will be fine. Ezra would never let anything happen to her.

**Well you found out who target number two is! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Review and let me know what you think! I'm getting a new laptop and I think it comes in the mail today or tomorrow, so I might not be able to update while I'm setting it up and transferring stuff, but I'll try and have a new chapter up as soon as possible! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I am soooo sorry for the long update wait! I had a few computer issues but it's all great now. Also sorry I might have more typos than usual, I havn't installed Microsoft Word yet so I'm using WordPad and their spellcheck sucks. Well anyway, enjoy the chapter! -sototallyrandom**

Ezra's POV

I groan as I wake up. There is barely any light but I can already tell what the figure in front of me is. It's Aria.

"Aria?" I croak out into the darkness. Her still form is lying cold on the ground on her side, facing me.

"Aria!" I shout. I try to get up and go over to her but I'm tied with my arms behind me on a pole of some sort. I knew A was evil, but I didn't think they were this brutal.

"Aria, please wake up!" I beg while shouting over at her still form. My eyes adjust to the lighting, and I stare in horror. There is blood running down her face coming from the side of her head, and I remember her being thrown to the ground. I thrash against the ropes and feel the burns starting to form. A form wearing all black walks into the room. I instantly freeze, and I think the temperature might have actually dropped in the room. The figure walks in a circle around Aria's body before turning to look at me. He pulls his hood off his head and I'm so shocked I gasp.

"Jason?" I question, awestruck. He saved Aria from A! Why is he still working with them?! Jason chuckles as he looks down at me.

"They said I could be the one to kill you." Jason says, smirking. I can see his eyes and they look crazed. Like CRAZY crazy.

"You have to get Aria to a hospital or she'll die." I tell him, trying to sound less scared than I am.

"If I can't have her, no one can." He says. My stomache ties itself in a knot and I look past Jason to see Aria's body looking more and more lifeless by the minute. I can feel my hands starting to shake in anger.

"Let her go!" I demand. Jason laughs like it's the funniest thing he's ever heard. I grind my teeth together and stare him in the eye. Jason kneels down in front of me and pulls out a knife. My eyes widen as he touches the tip against my chest, right where my heart is.

Spencer's POV

I wake up and am greeted with a beam of sunlight coming through my windsheild. I yawn and look around as I realize that I fell asleep in the car before going inside last night. Toby is still passed out in the passanger seat and Emily and Paige are leaning against each other in the back. They are so cute together. I reach across the car and tap Toby on the shoulder.

"We should do morning check ins." I say while yawning. Toby yawns and nods, pulling out his phone.

"Emily, Paige. Get up." I say louder into the back. They both groan so I throw a car air freshener into the back and Toby laughs. In a minute we all have our phones out.

"Emily, you call Caleb, Paige call Hanna, Toby call Ezra, I'll call Aria." I say. We all call the others.

"Hanna and Caleb are fine." Emily and Paige say from the back.

"Ezra didn't pick up." Toby says. I'm still listening to my phone ringing. I'm hoping Aria picks up when I hear the voicemail.

"Aria and Ezra didn't pick up." I tell Emily and Hanna.

"Neither of them picked up?" Paige asks worried.

"Call Aria again." Emily tells me. I dial the familiar number, put it on speakerphone, and put the phone on my lap. It picks up and everyone in the car gets as close as they can.

"Aria?" I say into the phone. All we hear on the other line is breathing.

"Aria, are you ok?" Emily asks. The breathing continues until we hear a voice in the backround. It's Ezra's.

"SPENCER! YOU HAVE TO FIND US! ARIA'S HURT!" We hear from the phone.

"Where are you?!" Toby yells into the phone.

"I don't know!... NO DON'T HURT HER!" after that the line goes dead.

"Guys..." Paige starts to say.

"What are we going to do?" Emily asks in desperation.

Ezra's POV

Aria's phone rings from her back pocket. I struggle furiously to try and get out of the ropes.

"Please, Aria, wake up!" I cry out. The phone rings a second time and Jason walks over to her and pulls the phone out of her back pocket with two fingers and answers it.

"Aria?" I hear. Spencer. They don't know where we are. I don't even know where we are. It just looks like a basement somewhere.

"Aria, are you ok?" I hear Emily's voice.

"SPENCER! YOU HAVE TO FIND US! ARIA'S HURT!" I shout. Jason's face contorts with anger and he pulls his knife out again.

"Where are you?!" I hear Toby.

"I don't know!" I shout. Jason puts the phone on the ground and pulls Aria into a sitting postion by her hair and puts the blade up to her throat.

"NO DON'T HURT HER!" I yell at the top of my lungs. Jason stomps on the phone and the knife barely cuts into Aria's skin. I shut up and try to sit still.

"You'll stay quiet or I'll kill her. Noel is going to kill her anyway, but I thought you would want a few more hours." Jason smirks, and I want to stab him with his own knife. He drops Aria and I hear a thud when she hits the ground and I flinch. Noel? I knew there was something off about him from the time he found out about Aria and I. Maybe that's how A knew about us.

"If you try to escape, I'll kill her." Jason says as he cuts off my ropes. I listen and don't move after the ropes are off.

"You better say goodbye." Jason says. I see a bit of compassion and sorrow in his eyes. He leaves the basement and I hear the click that signals that the door is locked.

"Aria!" I say as I run over to her in tears. I pull her small body into my arms and cry.

"Stay with me." I whisper. I turn her head with my hand to see the gash on her right temple. It looks horrible. I kiss her lightly on the lips as I sob.

**Sorry for the short chapter and the long update wait! I PROMISE to make sure the next chapters are not short! I'm having a bit of a hard time with my new computer and I need to install Microsoft because I can't stand writing with WordPad. I'll update soon! Review, follow, and pm me! :P**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry, I owe you a great chapter for all the waiting I've been making you do. I'll try my best to make this one really long and good. Happy reading! -sototallyrandom**

Spencer's POV

Emily, Hanna, Paige, Toby, and Caleb meet me at The Grill so we can figure out what to do about Aria and Ezra. A younger waitress comes up to us and asks for our order while staring flirtatiously at Toby. I shoot daggers at her with my eyes as Emily tells her we don't want anything. I'm too upset about Aria to eat anything anyway, so I don't care.

"So, what's the plan?" Hanna asks, and everyone looks at me. Do I have to do everything?

"I thought one of you guys thought of something." I say. They all groan and lean back in their chairs.

"What?" I ask.

"YOU always come up with the plans!" Emily complains.

"Well sorry I don't have one, but OUR BEST FRIEND IS MISSING! Can't you guys at least TRY to think of something? I don't have a clue what to do!" I yell at them and let out an angry breath. We are attracting stares, but I don't give a crap.

"I got it!" Caleb shouts after a minute of silent thought.

"What?" We all eagerly ask.

"She answered her phone right?" He asks. I nod and he continues.

"That means it's with her wherever she is. I just have to track it." He explains.

"Caleb you're a genius!" I shout and Hanna leans over the table and kisses him.

"Come on, let's go back to my house. Caleb can use my laptop to find Aria's phone." I suggest. We all pick up our jackets and walk out of The Grill.

Ezra's POV

"Please Aria." I beg while crying. I'm holding her petite body in my lap and holding her right hand. Her head is bleeding really bad and she barely has a pulse. I feel her hand lightly squeeze mine and I instantly stop crying.

"Aria? Aria can you hear me?" She doesn't respond, but she keeps holding y hand with hers. I pull her into a hug.

"You can't go now. Ever since the day I met you I knew you were the one. If you go now, I'll never get over it. I would miss you so much so PLEASE, don't go." I beg.

"I love you Aria." I whisper into her ear. After a few minutes of us just sitting there her hand relaxes.

"Aria…? Aria!" I can't get any response from her. I press my fingers against the side of her neck to feel for a pulse. There's nothing there.

"No! Aria! Please!" I lay her down flat on the ground and start to perform CPR.

Hanna's POV

I'm sitting on the couch leaning against Caleb, who is typing quickly on Spencer's laptop in his lap.

"Are you close to getting a location?" Spencer asks. I roll my eyes, but inside I keep wanting to ask the same question.

"No closer than the last time you asked me five seconds ago." Caleb says. Emily lets out a worried sigh and Paige rubs circles into her back. Toby wraps his arm around Spencer and whispers into her ear. The room is almost silent for another ten minutes.

"I found it!" Caleb shouts. We all crowd around the computer in a fraction of a second and look at the map.

"That's Noel's cabin." Spencer says in shock.

"Let's get going." Toby says while Caleb closes the laptop and brings it with him. Caleb and I get into my car and the others get into Spencer's. I hope to god that we get there before it's too late.

Aria's POV

I use all my energy to hold onto Ezra's hand. I think I'm going to die. I'm glad I get to spend my last minutes with him, no matter where we are.

"Aria? Aria can you hear me?" I hear Ezra say. I don't have the energy to open my eyes or even respond. The pounding in my head is getting worse by the second.

"You can't go now. Ever since the day I met you I knew you were the one. If you go now, I'll never get over it. I would miss you so much so PLEASE, don't go." He begs. My heart shatters. I wish I could give him some words of comfort, tell him everything's going to be ok and he'll move on someday.

"I love you Aria." I hear him whisper. My heart skips a beat. _I love you too._ I want to say. It's good to know that the last thing I hear will be Ezra's voice telling me he loves me and the last thing I feel will be his arms around me.

_"I love you Aria."_ Echoes in my head.

_"I love you Aria."_

_"I love you Aria."_

And then everything goes black.

Ezra's POV

My heart is breaking because the CPR isn't working. I sob and keep trying. I am not going to give up on her.

"Aria come back to me!" I cry out.

Spencer's POV

I'm driving on the road leading to Noel's cabin and I suddenly have a terrible feeling. I slow down and stop the car.

"Does anyone else feel like we forgot something?" I ask. I see Hanna pull over behind us and get out of the car. Caleb and Hanna walk up to my window and knock. I lower it.

"Why did you stop?" Hanna asks.

"I have a feeling something horrible just happened. I feel like I forgot something, or I lost something…" I mutter. I sound even more crazy in my head.

"Spencer, we're going to rescue them. Now let's go." Hanna says, annoyed.

"You're right." I say. "We better get going."

Aria's POV

I suddenly pull out of the black sleep and I feel Ezra's hands pushing down on my chest. I'm trying to catch my breath when he puts his mouth up to mine. I cough and take a huge breath.

"ARIA!" He shouts. I open my eyes and he's looking down at me and his face is tear-stained, but smiling. I take another deep breath and try to take in the fact that I'm not dead.

"What…?" I say completely confused. Ezra pulls me up into a hug and he cries on my shoulder. All I can do is rub my hand on his back. I feel like I have no energy whatsoever. Like my batteries just ran out and I can hardly move. He runs his hand down the back of my head and holds me up.

"I thought I lost you." He cries. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out.

"It's ok just lie down." He tells me. I can't make myself move so he lays me down with my head in his lap.

"Just breathe." He tells me. I start to relax and almost fall asleep.

"Please stay awake." He asks. "I'm afraid if you close your eyes you won't ever open them again." He explains with tears in his eyes. I work up a nod. He smiles. I just lie here trying to stay awake. His hand running through my hair makes me feel safe. I hold my hand out and he takes it in his. I smile, and finally can form some words.

"I love you too Ezra." He has a truly happy smile on his face.

"You could hear me?" he asks. I nod. He smiles, leans over, and kisses me lightly on the lips. I start to feel weak and the room is starting to spin.

"Aria, are you ok?" He asks. I don't want to make him any more worried than he already is so I lie.

"I feel fine."

"Really? Your head looks pretty bad…" He says.

"No. really. I'm ok." I say, and to prove my point I quickly sit up. An intense pain shoots through my head and I cry out.

"Aria! Just don't move." He orders me after pulling me back into his lap. "You already died once." He says. I laugh, but then I see that he is serious.

"I… I died?" I ask.

"Your heart stopped and you stopped breathing." He tells me. I wasn't expecting that one. "Just take it easy." He says, and it sounds more like a beg. After a while we're quietly just sitting together. He's leaning against the wall of what must be a basement, and I'm lying on my back with my head on his lap as he runs his hands through my hair and checks my pulse every ten seconds. All of a sudden the door flies open. I'm sure my pulse just quickened. Ezra pulls me up into a sitting position and wraps his arms around me protectively. My head feels like it just broke in half. I look up at Ezra and he is terrified. He knows who this is. I wrap my arms around Ezra's stomach as a figure wearing a black ski mask and a black hoodie walks in. A. I start shaking, and my head is pounding. Ezra grips me so tight I think I might not be able to breathe well. Maybe it's not him and I just can't breathe. As the figure gets closer I'm gasping for breath, practically hyperventilating. Another figure walks into the room.

"Jason?" I question. I see that he is wearing a black hoodie and has a crazed look in his eye.

"I thought you were on our side!" I shout at him. Ezra holds me close and tries to make me be quiet, but Jason's betrayal made me furious.

"I would never be on a side with him." Jason says pointing to Ezra. The first figure still hasn't said anything. Jason runs over and pulls Ezra's arms off of me while the first figure wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me away. I scream and Ezra struggles against Jason.

"Aria! Don't move!" Ezra shouts. I freeze when I feel the cold blade against my throat. I can feel the tears running down my cheeks. Ezra frees himself from Jason and charges towards us but four more people tackle him out of nowhere. The whole A team is here? I stay stock still and cry for Ezra when they all tie him up on the pole in the corner of the room. He's gagged and he tries to shout out something to me, but I can't understand him. I feel the knife come off of my neck, but I'm too afraid to move. In less than a second I'm spun around and slammed against the wall. I'm hardly conscious but I can still see the knife slowly getting closer. I hear a lot of commotion from the direction that I believe Ezra is in and I turn my head to look. The person pinning me to the wall grabs my jaw, turns my head to face him, and then slams it back into the wall. The room spins and everything goes black.

Ezra's POV

I'm strugging as hard as I can to get free but I can't. The people in black hoodies are surrounding me so I can't see Aria. I look up and see their faces. Melissa, Wilden, Lucas, and Garrat. Whoa. I only have a second to process before I hear a banging sound and see Aria's body on the ground with her head facing away from me. I can only see Aria's body on the ground between everyone's legs. I struggle and finally the ropes break loose and I jump up. I untie my gag and charge through the four As.

"Aria!" I yell out. My feet are pulled out from beneath me from behind and I fall flat on my face. Blood from my nose drips down onto the floor. I fling myself back up and grab the knife from out of the masked figure's hand. It's too quickly knocked out of my hand and it clatters to the floor.

"ARIA!" I shout. I struggle but I'm dragged back to the pole and tied up again. The masked figure pulls Aria into a sitting position against the wall by the collar of her shirt.

"Leave her alone!" I shout, and am punished with a slap in the face.

"You've gotten away way too many times." The masked figure says to Aria, even though she's unconscious. The voice sounds familiar. He pulls out a knife and holds the tip above Aria's heart. Jason does the same to me.

**I know, cliffhanger! I hope you enjoyed the action and the chapter was a bit longer than the others to make up for the update wait! Sorry if it has a lot of mistakes I didn't have time to proof. I really need some feedback, so this time more reviews means faster update!**

**0-5 reviews: update Tuesday**

**6-10 reviews: update Monday**

**11+ reviews: Update tomorrow**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews guys! I got enough to update today so happy reading! -sototallyrandom**

Spencer's POV

We're pulled over on the side of the road because my car has a flat. I groan as Toby and Caleb fight over how it's supposed to be fixed. Emily, Hanna, Paige, and I are getting impatient.

"Guys hurry up!" I tell Toby and Caleb.

"Let's just all take my car!" Hanna yells frustrated.

"There's only five seats and six of us." Emily points out.

"Spencer can sit in Toby's lap or something. We don't need seatbelts we need to go find Aria an Ezra." Paige suggests.

"Let's go with that idea." I say. "Toby! Caleb! We're all going in Hanna's car! Hurry up!" I yell at them. I'm getting more and more worried every second. The last thing we heard from Aria and Ezra was Ezra saying "NO DON'T HURT HER!" That CAN'T be good. We all pile into the car and I'm sitting on Toby's lap. I pull out my phone and make one last pointless call before we get up to the cabin. Of course Aria doesn't answer. We all walk up to the front of the cabin and Emily is about to knock on the front door.

"Do you really think the A team is going to just let us in?" Hanna remarks. That's right. I forgot that there might be more than one of them here.

"Assuming Aria and Ezra won't be able to fight, we still have a decent chance of winning." I say. Everyone looks at me for explanation.

"There are six of them and six of us. It's one-on-one." I say.

"Right." Paige mutters. Caleb kicks down the door.

Aria's POV

I open my eyes to a life and death situation. I see the knife pressed against my chest and Ezra in the same situation. I see the whole A team. It is NOT who I'm expecting. I found out a little while ago that Jason was back with them. But I was not expecting the rest of them to be Melissa, Wilden, Garrat, and Lucas! I still don't know who is about to kill me because of the mask. I reach up to take it off, and he lets me. I gasp at the familiar face.

"Hey Aria." Noel Kahn says with a smirk. A cry chokes out of my throat when he wraps his hand around my neck and pushes me into the wall. He lets go and holds my head still by my hair so I can't turn and see Ezra. I let out a scream hoping anyone is anywhere near wherever we are.

Spencer's POV

"Did you hear that?! That was Aria!" I yell at the others.

"They must be in the basement!" Emily says. We all surround the door down to the basement.

"Everyone ready?" Toby asks. I take a deep breath and prepare for whatever might happen. Toby kicks down the door and we charge down the stairs.

Emily's POV

We hurry down the stairs and I'm shocked. Jason is holding a knife up to a tied up Ezra while Melissa, Wilden, Lucas, and Garrat are standing around Noel who is holding Aria by the hair. I see the blood running down her face and panic.

"Let them go!" I shout. I get ahead of the others and tackle Lucas to the ground. I'm hoping each of us can take down one of them, or we're doomed. I hear the banging sounds of the others fighting but all I can think about is beating the crap out of Lucas. I am winning at first, but he's so much stronger and I end up pinned to the ground.

Spencer's POV

We run down the stairs and the first thing I see is Noel holding Aria against a wall with a knife held up to her threateningly. Aria's eyes light up when she sees us, but then I see something horrible. Melissa. In a black hoodie. How could my own sister do this to my friends and I?

"Let them go!" Emily screams and she tackles Lucas. I let my anger flow out of me and I go after Melissa.

"How could you do this to me?!" I scream at her with tears in my eyes. I throw a punch, but she dodges and trips me.

"You've done plenty to me." Melissa says angrily.

"I didn't attempt to murder you and your friends!" I scream. I pin Melissa to the ground and am thankful that I'm the athletic one. I continue to scream at her.

Toby's POV

"Let them go!" Emily screams and tackles Lucas. I see Spencer go after Melissa and I jump on top of Noel. I know Spencer can take down Melissa so I'm not worried. Noel releases Aria and she slumps to the ground, barely conscious. Noel and I are throwing punches at each other. I hit him good in the jaw and he falls to the ground. I continue to beat him up so I can help one of the girls after I knock him out.

Caleb's POV

We're all picking a target and attacking them. I know none of the girls would be able to handle Jason so I go after him. I knock him out with one blow to the head and untie Ezra. He immediately gets up and runs over to Aria, who's lying on the floor unconscious. I help Hanna take down Wilden and after he's knocked out we both attack Garrat and get him off of Paige. Paige immediately goes to tackle Lucas off of Emily. After what seems like forever we have everybody knocked out. We all crowd around Aria as Ezra shakes her shoulders to wake her up. Aria groans and opens her eyes.

"Guys, give her some space." Spencer orders. We all back up a bit as Aria holds her hand up to her head and slowly becomes fully awake.

Ezra's POV

The others get here just in time to save Aria's life. They take down the entire A team and untie me. I run over to Aria and wake her up. She groans and opens her eyes and I let out a sigh of relief. I have no idea how she's still alive. We have to get her to the hospital now.

"Guys, give her some space." Spencer orders. Aria is fully awake but looks like she can't get up so I scoop her up bridal style.

"we have to get out of here before they wake up. Aria needs to go to a hospital NOW." I say. Everyone agrees and we run up the stairs and out of the cabin into the fresh air. Aria takes a deep breath and I know she's as thrilled as I am to be out of that basement.

"There's only one car?" I question.

"Yeah… long story.." Spencer says. We all smash into the one car and Hanna pushes the gas pedal. Aria holds her hand up to her head and groans again.

"Shhh, it's ok. We're going to get you to the hospital." I comfort her. A few tears run down her cheeks and the others in the back of the car give her a comforting pat on the arm. I pull Aria's body closer to me as the road starts to get bumpy. I see her clenching her jaw and I run my hands through her hair attempting to comfort her. We hear a gunshot and we all jump. The car starts bumping around uncontrollably.

"Guys hold on!" Hanna shouts. We hear another gunshot and hear another tire burst. The car spins off the road and barely avoids crashing into a tree.

"Everybody get out and RUN!" Spencer screams. I spill out of the car and I carry Aria the whole way. She locks her arms around my neck and I try to run as fast as I can without dropping her. The gunshots keep coming and the bark is being split off of trees right next to us.

"Don't stop running whatever you do!" Toby yells.

**Sorry for the cliffhanger and the short chapter! I'm also sorry if it's really bad I'm on a really tight deadline for school and I wasn't expecting enough reviews to have to update today so I'm sorry if it stinks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I know it's taking me forever to update, but It's so hard to find time to write during the school week, so I think I'm going to start updating every Friday night, but I'm not sure yet. Happy reading! -sototallyrandom**

Aria's POV

My head is hurting as I'm uncontrollable bouncing around in Ezra's arms. I can't really think at all and all that registers is that we're being shot at.

"Don't stop running whatever you do!" Toby yells. The bark splits off the tree right beside us following a bang that signals a gunshot. I wrap my arms around Ezra and hold on for dear life. The others are running ahead of us. Ezra is falling behind because of me. I won't let him get shot because of me. I'm delusional, but I know what I have to do.

"Ezra, drop me and run." I croak. He looks down at me in horror.

"Never!" He yells while breathing heavily.

"Please," I beg.

"No." He says sternly.

Ezra's POV

"Ezra, drop me and run." Aria says hoarsely. What?! There is absolutely no way I'm leaving her. I don't care if I get shot I have to save her.

"Never!" I yell. She looks almost angry.

"Please." She begs.

"No." I tell her while trying to catch my breath. The others are ahead of me, but I can't lose Aria. That would be like losing myself. I love her so much I would risk my life for her. I'm too deep in thought to see the tree root sticking out of the ground. My foot gets locked under it and I start to fall forward. Aria lets out a quick scream and I realize that I've smashed her.

"Aria?!" I scramble off of her and cup her face in my hand. Her body is sprawled on the ground unnaturally and her eyes are closed. I hear the leaves crunching under the feet of the others as they run back.

"Aria!" I cry. I put my fingers up to her neck and lean over so my ear is near her mouth.

"She's dead!' I sob. I rest my head on her shoulder and bawl like a baby. I hear several gasps and the others crying. We're interrupted by a gunshot. I wouldn't care if it hit me. Nothing hurts more than this.

"Ezra, we have to go!" Hanna sobs.

"No! I'm not leaving Aria!" I cry.

"Ezra, WE HAVE TO!" Spencer screams in fear. Caleb and Toby grab my forearms and pull me up and backwards. I finally give in and run away with the others. I steal one glance back and see Aria's mangled body and another sob escapes. I killed Aria. I KILLED ARIA!

Spencer's POV

I'm so shocked I don't even know what to do. I can't let emotions take me over like Ezra or I'll get us all killed. I force any feelings at all to the back of my head. After forever we get to my car and all climb in. We drive even with the flat and speed out of there. I can't believe she's gone.

Jason's POV

Noel and I are the only ones who woke up in time to chase the liars through the woods. I see Ezra fall and a whole commotion. I run faster to catch up with Noel who's shooting at them. The others leave Aria behind and fear rips out my heart. There's only one reason they would leave her behind. Noel cackles after passing Aria's dead body. I didn't really want her dead! I wanted to kill Noel and run away with her. I drop to my knees beside Aria and Noel keeps running.

"Aria…" I mutter, checking for a pulse. She's gone. No, I can't let this happen. I won't let Aria die! I start pressing down on her chest roughly and start counting in my head.

_ 5…_

Come on, dammit! I press my mouth against hers and try to force her to breath.

"Aria, come back!" I shout and begin compressions again.

Spencer's POV

We're all silently sitting in my living room wide eyed and emotionally numb. We all sat down ten minutes ago after locking every window and door in the house. Ezra is the first one to break out into tears and the rest of us follow. I can't believe A won. Aria's gone, just like Ali. I smash Toby with a hug and bury my face into his chest. It smells like his cheap cologne and it comforts me just the tiniest bit.

"It's my fault." I Ezra says guiltily. I look up at his face and his eyes are red and puffy.

"It's all my fault." He cries.

"No, Ezra, nothing about this is your fault." Hanna says in tears.

"I… I wasn't paying attention and… I tripped.. and killed her." He sobs.

"This isn't your fault. It's A's." Hanna tells him. Just then my phone rings and I flinch. I check the caller I.D. It's Aria's mom. I show the others.

"What am I going to tell her?" I croak.

"I think it's time we tell the truth." Emily says. We all stare at her in horror.

"NO!" I shout out while my phone keeps buzzing.

"Not telling anyone cost Aria her life!" Emily screams. "I'm DONE with this!"

"Emily, you can't tell anyone! You'll get us all killed!" Hanna argues on my side.

"ARIA IS DEAD." Emily says, standing up. "Maybe this is all of our faults!" Emily screams.

"Emily.." Paige starts, putting her hand on Emily's arm.

"You don't mean that…" Caleb says.

"No! Aria might still be alive if we had just told the cops!" Emily cries out, now hysterical.

"GUYS TURN TURN ON THE TV!" Caleb shouts while looking at the muted TV screen that my family constantly leaves on the news. It's Aria. I grab the remote and turn off mute.

"Missing Aria Montgomery was last seen with Ezra Fitz at his apartment building. There is anonymous proof that the two have a relationship and the man has gone missing with the girl. We believe that Ezra Fitz has kidnapped Aria Montgomery. If you see either of the two or any suspicious behavior immediately inform the police." The news anchor babbles. Our jaws all drop.

"This is NOT good." Toby says.

**DON'T WORRY I won't kill off Aria! Sorry for the short chapter and any spelling errors! Didn't have time to proof and I have major writer's block for some unknown reason. :P**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I got a bunch of reviews begging me to update again and I managed to find some free time. I was thinking about making Aria lose her memory but I feel that that is a little over-used, so I have a different plot twist. Hope you enjoy!**

Ezra's POV

I asked to be alone so I left the others and now I'm at my apartment. I have my head in my hands and I can't stop sobbing. The reality of what just happened finally gets to me. I get up and pick up Aria's favorite book, _To Kill a Mockingbird_. I let out another sob and throw the book across the room. I kick the coffee table and all of our favorite movies fall to the ground. I ignore the pain in my foot and sit back down on the couch and rest my head in my hands. I can't believe I killed her. If I was only paying attention to the ground in front of me she would be alive! Another wave of guilt hits me when I remember how I just left her body. I can't just leave her out there, I have to go find her. I'm not going to tell the others because I know they won't let me go no matter how much they want to also.

Aria's POV

I feel the same sensation of coming back as I did with Ezra, but the mouth against mine isn't his. This is wrong. I shove whoever it is off and flash my eyes open. Jason! HOLY SHIT! Jason's mouth moves, but no noise comes out. My first instinct is to look around for the others, and no one is here. _They got away. _I think, relieved. I quickly get into a sitting position causing a huge pain in my head. Jason's mouth is moving again and he looks worried. He tried to kill me! His mouth looks like he's talking but I can't hear him. Actually I can't hear anything. I open my mouth and let out a scream. I can't hear that either. _God no. _Jason lunges at me and covers my mouth with his hand and says something that I can't hear. I scramble backwards away from him and get to my feet, but I just fall backwards onto the ground and close my eyes tight trying to block the unbearable headache. His arms wrap around me and lift me up and I let out another scream. I struggle but he holds me tight against him and somehow manages to have my face pressed into his shoulder so I can't yell. I can't hear anything and I can't see anything. I panic but I can't move at all.

Jason's POV

"Come on!" I shout. I press my mouth against Aria's again and try to force her to breathe. She suddenly shoves me off of her.

"Aria!" I shout in relief. She looks horrified, and I don't blame her. She looks around wide-eyed and I know she is looking for the others.

"Aria, they left you here." I try to get her to not be afraid but she looks distant. Like she doesn't understand a thing I'm saying.

"Aria…?" I say. All of a sudden she starts screaming louder than I've ever heard someone scream before. Noel can't know she's alive or he'll come back! I lunge at her and practically smash her mouth with my hand.

"Aria! SHH!" I say. She scrambles away from me terrified but falls back on the ground, closes her eyes, and curls into a somewhat protective ball. I hurry over to her.

"Aria?" I ask. When she doesn't respond I scoop her up into my arms and she starts screaming and struggling.

"Aria be quiet!" I tell her. I grip her tightly against me and keep her face pressed against me so she can't give us away and I run to where we all left our cars hidden in the trees near Noel's Cabin, trying to keep Aria quiet the whole way.

Ezra's POV

I pull up to where Hanna's car still sits pretty wrecked. I should be able to find her from here. I get out of my car and slide the keys into my pocket, still unable to stop the tears from flowing down my face. I retrace our footsteps until I know I'm near the tree root. I try to prepare myself for what I'm about to see. I get to the tree root prepared for the worst, but Aria's not here. Did one of the As take her body? The thought makes me want to murder them even more. I look around and I still can't find her. It was here, I'm sure of it. The tree root is the same shape and… the leaves. They're all scattered away from the spot as if there was a struggle. Was Aria alive to fight whoever took her? I try crush that hope because as Spencer says, hope breeds eternal misery. I probably already have eternal misery anyway though, so I let myself hope. When I was here she was dead. But her heart stopped before in the basement and I saved her… who saved her this time? _Jason._ I knew he had, scratch that, HAS a thing for her. Maybe he was on our side the whole time and was acting for the A team? I need to find Jason. Maybe he has her.

**I'm so sorry for all the short chapters lately! I ran out of time and knew you guys wanted at least some kind of update after the last cliffhanger so here it is. I promise I'll make future chapters longer when I can find the time. Review and let me know what you think about the whole Aria being deaf thing!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy reading! -sototallyrandom**

Aria's POV

Jason ties my wrists together and puts a gag in my mouth very much against my will. He buckles me into the front seat of his car and I finally burst out in tears. Jason is talking, but I still can't hear him. _Why can't I hear him?!_ I struggle against the seatbelt but I can't get out. Jason gets into the driver's seat and starts to drive. I think I fall asleep because I open my eyes and we're at the hospital. What? I thought he wanted to KILL me. Jason takes off the seatbelt and gently unties me and takes the gag out of my mouth. He's talking and has a worried look on his face. Can I trust him? He did save me once before… Jason picks me up and carries me towards the front of the hospital and I let him. I want nothing more than to get rid of this headache and have the blood washed out of my hair. Well actually, I do want something more. Ezra. I want Ezra here so badly. I'm starting to get a little dizzy when Jason walks into the hospital. Jason talks to a very worried-looking nurse and they force me to lie down on a stretcher. The nurse slips a needle into my arm and everything starts to fade away. The last thing I see is Jason walking out of the hospital with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He looks back at me and we make eye contact. He looks truly sorry.

Ezra's POV

I'm furious as I look all around the site where I tripped. Aria is nowhere to be found. She could actually be dead by now! I'm practically pulling out my hair when I hear a voice behind me.

"I thought you might be here." It's Jason. I turn around and within half a second I'm strangling him against a tree. He starts coughing and his eyes are bugging out.

"DID YOU KILL HER?!" I scream. He shakes his head no but I don't believe him. I'm starting to lift him up and his feet aren't touching the ground.

"She…. Was… alive last… Time I…. saw her!" Jason shouts. I immediately let him go and he falls to the ground gasping for breath.

"Where is she?!" I demand. He coughs and looks up at me.

"I took her to the hospital." Jason chokes out.

"YOU? You took her to the hospital? Weren't you trying to kill us?" I ask.

"I wanted to kill YOU. I wanted Aria to love me as much as I love her and as much as she loves you. I never meant for her to get hurt at all!" Jason explains.

"Then why are you here telling me where she is instead of killing me?" I question.

"When I saved her she started screaming and was terrified of me. I honestly don't blame her though. I know she'll always want you. I don't want to take that away from her. She didn't say a single word to me. It was like she couldn't even hear me." Jason explains. I hate the idea of Aria screaming for help and me not being there to rescue her. Jason looks like something just dawned on him.

"What?" I growl. He just gets up and runs. I let him go because I have to get to the hospital and call the girls. I run all the way back to my car and speed off to the hospital. I burst through the front doors and practically run up to the front desk.

"What room is Aria Montgomery in?" I ask her.

"She's in room…" the nurse types on her computer. "119." She tells me.

"Thanks." I say.

"Wait, aren't you two the people on the news…?" She asks, but I've already taken off toward Aria's room. I finally find the door to room 119 and push it open. Aria is sitting on the bed and looking out the window not facing me. She has her chin resting on her knees which are pulled up to her chest. There is a bandage around her head and few other bruises.

"Aria?" I call out to her. My heart melts when I see her alive and breathing. She doesn't respond though.

"Aria?" I ask again. She still doesn't even move so I walk over and put my hand on her shoulder. She lets out a quick scream and I flinch. She turns and when she sees me her eyes light up and a huge smile is plastered on her face. She jumps up and throws her arms around me and I do the same.

"Aria. I love you." I say as I give her a quick kiss on the lips. She suddenly looks sad.

"Aria, what is it?" I ask, but she still doesn't say anything. Is this what Jason was talking about? There is confusion in her eyes.

"Can you understand me?" I ask her. Nothing.

"I…" She starts to say. It barely even sounds like the word 'I'. She's having trouble speaking.

Aria's POV

I can't hear a thing Ezra is saying. It's kind of ruining the reunion. He kisses me and says something and I try not to look upset that I can't hear it. He keeps trying to talk to me. I can't seem to form the words in my mouth. I can't hear what it sounds like and talking seems foreign.

"…" I can't even hear what I'm saying, but I'm trying to say 'I' to start the sentence 'I can't hear.' I don't think I can do anymore because Ezra is looking at me strangely. I must have just said a nonsense word. I let out a single tear and he keeps trying to ask me things which makes me even more sad. I hug him and bury my head in his chest.

Ezra's POV

Now Aria has buried her head in my chest and crying and she still hasn't said anything but what was meant to be an 'I'. A nurse walks in behind us and only I turn to look. The nurse gives me a look of sympathy.

"What's wrong with her?" I ask.

"She had severe head damage." The nurse says. Well let's state the obvious. "She failed the hearing test." The nurse finishes sadly.

"She… She's deaf?" I ask, and look down at a hysterical Aria. The nurse nods.

"Permanently?" I ask.

"There's no way to be sure." The nurse tells me. "I'll leave you two alone." She says as she walks out. I don't say anything because I know she can't hear me. I have an idea. I pull Aria off of me and make her sit on the bed. I sit beside her and while she leans against me I pull out my phone and start typing.

Aria's POV

The hug finally ends with Ezra making me sit on the bed. He sits beside me and pulls on his phone. What is he doing? He shows me his screen with a smile on his face.

"I love you." It says. I grin and lean up to kiss him. I snatch his phone and type.

"I love you too." He reads. He pulls me into another hug and I feel like I couldn't be happier. I do get even more happy when the girls come into the room. They all immediately start talking to me at once. I look back and forth between them, trying to lip read. I look over at Ezra, who's holding his phone out to me.

"Just a sec." It says. I nod and look back up at Spencer, Hanna, and Emily. They look extremely confused. As Ezra speaks, their eyes become understanding as they all turn to look at me. They all give me a group hug and pull out their phones so we can talk. Spencer hands me a pad of paper and a pencil from her purse which I gladly accept.

"So you can't hear a thing?" Hanna shows me on her phone. Spencer slaps Hanna on the arm and says something.

"Not a thing." I scribble and hold up.

"I'm glad you're ok." Emily shows me on her phone. I smile back at her. Ezra wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into him.

"Thanks guys." I hold my pad out so they can all see. Spencer gives me a quick smile and begins typing on her phone. It takes her a while, so I turn away from her to Ezra, who's holding his phone out to me.

"Are you doing ok? With the pain and everything?" It says. I quickly write my answer on my pad and show it to him.

"I feel fine." It's finally not a lie. The medications are doing me good. It is making me a little tired though. Spencer taps me on the shoulder and hands me her phone. I take in it my hand and read it.

"Aria, I know it's a bit soon, but what are you going to do about life? Can you manage at school with only what is in the textbook and on the board? Or are your parents going to send you to a deaf school? There aren't any in Rosewood…" My parents! They think I've been staying at Spencer's this whole time. I rapidly write on my pad. I get through about the first sentence when my pencil breaks. I drop the pad and frantically grab Ezra's phone and start typing with the quick texting fingers every girl has. I finish and show it to everyone. It says:

My parents don't know I'm here! They think I have been staying with Spencer this whole time! What the HELL are we going to tell them? When my parents find out they could send me out of town to a deaf school! A might track me and I can't do this without you guys! And I can't leave without Ezra. My parents already know about our relationship, but what if they get mad and think that this is his fault?

Each of them takes turns reading it while I start hyperventilating. Ezra takes my hand in his and brings it to his lips. It instantly calms me down. Spencer says something to Ezra and then pulls out her phone and walks into the hallway. Emily puts her hand on my shoulder and Hanna starts randomly applying makeup to my bruised face. I laugh at her, and she pretends to look hurt. Apparently she forgets and says something and laughs, and I look down at my hands. I feel a hand on my arm and look up to see Hanna. She holds out her phone.

"I'm sorry. I keep forgetting." It says. I just nod and run my hand through my tangled hair. I just really want a shower. I also want out of this hospital robe. I look back up and my parents and Mike are standing in the doorway with Spencer and looking very worried. I smile and them and stand up to give them each a big hug. I didn't think I would live to see them again. Mike doesn't even have his goofy smile. He looks into my eyes and I know that he is upset that I can't talk to him. My mom kisses me on the cheek and my dad gathers me into a huge but gentle hug. I smile and wipe happy tears off of my face. I'm so glad to see them. Mike pulls something from behind his back and hands it to me. It's a notebook that's a dark purple color with dark swirls all over the front and a matching mechanical pencil. The cover is able to fold back so it's like a pad. A pad for talking. I carefully take it and run my hand down the cover. I flip it open. I know what I want the first words in the pad to be and write them down with the pencil.

Thank you Mike. I love you so much.

I put the pencil behind my ear. Little did I know that this was going to be my new style. I held out the pad to Mike and his eyes start to water. He pulls me into a hug. My parents get out their phones to type.

"How did this happen?" My mother showed me. I give a nervous glance to Spencer hoping she'll make the question go away, and she does. She tells my mother some lie about how I hit my head and winks at me. My family pulls us all into a big group hug.

"I'm so glad you're ok." My father shows me on his phone.

_Me too._ I think. But things in my life are about to get a whole lot harder.

**I found some time to write today! I know, yay! Haha. Well I hope this is long enough to make up for my short chapters lately! As always, reviews, PM's, follows, and favorites are appreciated! I'll update again on Friday or sooner! Until next time!**

**-sototallyrandom**


	9. Chapter 9

**Happy reading :P -sototallyrandom**

**P.S there's a lot of Aria's POV in this chapter.**

Aria's POV

I push through the front door of my house with my parents and Mike right behind me. After two nights to make sure nothing was wrong with my head I finally got released. I'm super happy right now because my parents and I agreed that I could stay here and talk with writing because I didn't want to be sent to a deaf school to be taught sign language. If I learned sign language it wouldn't help me anyway because none of my friends or Ezra would know how to do it. My parents motion for me to go upstairs. I go gladly because I'm so tired. It wasn't easy to sleep in the hospital so I'm exhausted. I smile as I sit down on the bed against the wall in the familiar room. It's nice to be back here. I haven't been here since… that. My new phone vibrates in my pocket and I slide it out to check it.

Ezra: Are you coming back to school tomorrow?

Aria: Yup. It's weird. I actually miss it.

Ezra: Haha. I can't wait to see you in English. ;)

I smile. For some reason I find it funny when Ezra uses emoticons. It's actually already nine pm and I just want to go to bed. I set the alarm on my phone and just go to sleep in my clothes.

* * *

I wake up and the sunlight is sneaking through the curtains on my window. I pick up my phone and see on the screen that it's been ringing for who knows how long. I look at the clock. Damn it! How did I think an alarm was going to work?! I press ok on my phone and jump up to get ready. I speed through a shower, dry my hair, and get dressed. I don't have any time so I slip on a black dress that rests at knee length and pull on some converse sneakers. Oh well, I kind of like the whole dress and sneakers look. I grab my pad and put my pencil behind my ear. There's no time for breakfast, so I grab my books from the kitchen counter and rush out of the house to my car. Ugh! I forgot the keys so I run back into the house. I get back out to the driveway and I'm already late for first period. I should text the girls and let them know I'm just late. My phone! What is wrong with me? I run back to my room again and grab it before speeding out to my car. I slide in the driver's seat and turn the keys in the ignition. No surprise, it doesn't make a sound. I pull out of the driveway and start to drive to Rosewood High. I get out and realize that I didn't text the girls. Oh well. I start walking towards the school. Right before I walk through the front doors I feel a hand on my shoulder. I jump and drop all of my books. I turn around and it's just Spencer. Hanna and Emily pick up my books and carry them for me. I take the pencil from behind my ear and write on my pad for them.

"I didn't hear my alarm." I write and hold it out. The girls nod and we rush towards my locker.

* * *

I'm walking into the parking lot after school to get into my car and drive to Ezra's. I see Ezra smiling at me across the parking lot. He gets into his car and I know we are going to meet at his place, because my parents have kind of been hating on him since I went deaf. A police car pulls up next to Ezra's, and an officer gets out. He makes Ezra get out of the car and hold his hands above his head. Ezra gives me a worried glance. I unbuckle my seatbelt in shock and get out of the car. The officer already has the handcuffs on Ezra's left wrist.

Ezra's POV

The police officer is arresting me for the kidnapping of Aria! I did NOT kidnap her! The cop won't listen as he links the handcuffs to my wrists. I turn my head and see Aria running over.

"Hedidn'tdoit!" Her words are all slurred together. I'm surprised to hear her speak. The officer turns her way.

"What?" he asks her. "Who are you?" he asks her.

"That's Aria." I tell the officer, and he looks at me guiltily. Aria has taken the pencil from behind her ear and scribbles madly on the pad before holding it up to the officer. He takes it and reads it. I read it over his shoulder.

"Mr. Fitz didn't kidnap me! We're not together, I was at his apartment that night just because he is a family friend." The pad says. Aria looks at me hopefully. The officer turns to me.

"I'm sorry about this. We didn't know you weren't the criminal." He says.

"How do I tell her that I need to take her to the station for questioning?" He asks me.

"You type it on a phone or something." I mumble. I know Aria wouldn't want to get questioned. The officer shows his phone to Aria after giving her the pad back. The pencil is behind Aria's ear again.

Aria's POV

I knew they would have me questioned soon enough, and I know they won't believe I just walked around and became deaf somehow. They know I was abducted. I nod at the officer and he leads me to his car with his hand on my back between my shoulder blades. I look back at Ezra who is rubbing his now released wrists and giving me a sorry look. I sigh and put on the seatbelt and try to mentally prepare myself for questions I have to avoid.

* * *

"Were you kidnapped?" The paper in front of me says. I stare at it and try to think about what to answer. I don't get the comfort of using my own pencil and notepad, I have to use one of their pens and write on a paper that will be documented. The room around me is a plain off-white color and the person questioning me is a different officer than the one who picked me up. He kind of freaks me out. He's a huge, stereotypical cop. I cautiously pick of the pen and the cop eyes me. I hesitate, thinking for a moment, and then write my answer. I decided that I have to be honest, but not give away the whole A situation. I don't want to be caught in a lie with the cops. I write "Yes." And move on to the next question typed on the official looking paper.

"Do you know who kidnapped you? If so, who was it?" I write yes before I can think, then realize that I can't tell them who. That will get me in heaps of trouble with the A team, if they didn't already hate me. I want to erase, but I'm using pen. I glance up at the cop in front of me nervously, and feel sweat starting to form on the back of my neck. He holds up a piece of scratch paper for me to read.

"You can tell us. They can't hurt you anymore." It says. Oh yes they can. They probably have more people they can call to do their dirty work even if they were in jail. I don't know what to do. Maybe I should just write one name…? Maybe A will get it and not kill me? What am I thinking? A isn't going to cut me any slack because I only turned in one of them. I move on to the next question without writing anything else.

"What did your kidnappers do to you?" It says. Thankfully this is the last of the three questions. I want to keep it short and simple.

"They hit my head." Is all I write. I look up at the cop pleadingly and he nods towards the door and I immediately stand up and leave the room. I'm sitting in the lobby shaking my legs back and forth as the cop talks to a detective, or someone higher up than him, I don't know. I realize that I can lip read a few short familiar words.

"…Aria…said…..not…Ezra…won't….who." is all I could get. Darn it. The detective looking man comes over to me and gives me my notepad, pencil, and a piece of paper that says I can go. I stand up and quickly walk out of the building. I walk along the sidewalk I know is the quickest route to Hanna's house. She's the closest to the police station so I'm hoping she can give me a ride back to the school to get my car. I'm watching my shadow as I walk when I see the shadow of someone walking behind me. I look forward and pretend I didn't notice and walk faster. The shadow keeps up and I don't think they know I know. This is someone who knows I can't hear them. I walk a normal pace and try to breathe evenly as not to give away that I know they were following me. After a minute, I feel like I'm crazy. I'm just being paranoid, it's just someone who is going the same direction as me. Or at least I believed that until I saw them pull a gun from their belt. I try to act as normal as possible as I walk under the shadow of a tree and I can't see the person's shadow anymore. When I get out of the shadow I see the gun held up behind my head. My heart beats faster and my bottom lip starts to quiver in fear. How is no one seeing this? I'm near a park! I take a deep breath. I see the person's finger twitch and I duck just in time to see the bark split off of a tree ahead of us. I turn to face Lucas. I scream and he bolts. I'm assuming I was also being followed by one of the cops from the station because one of the tackles Lucas to the ground. I take off running, wanting to get away from the scene as soon as possible. I clutch my notepad to my chest as I run towards Hanna's. Can people just stop trying to MURDER me already?! I finally catch my breath standing on Hanna's driveway. I walk up to the doorstep and knock on the door. When I don't get a response after the second knock I pull my phone out of my pocket to text her and ask to drive me back to my car. When I pull out my phone I see that I missed a text from my mom. I open it and read.

Mom: I heard and came to pick you up at the station, but when I got there I saw a whole commotion of the officers bringing in your kidnapper! Where are you?

I text her back hoping I can finally get a ride to my car.

Aria: I'm at Hanna's house, but she's not home. Can I get a ride back to the high school to get my car?

Mom: Of course! I'll be right there!

I turn on the vibrate on my phone because I keep missing texts and slide it back into my pocket. I sit in the grass to wait for my mom when I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. I slide it out again and check the text.

_We will get you, no matter how many we lose while doing it. –A_

I take a deep breath and try to calm down. I open a group text with the girls and Ezra.

_Aria: I took down another A team member. Lucas just got arrested._

_Spencer: Woo hoo!_

_Hanna: Lucas deserves it._

_Emily: How did you do it?_

_Aria: He just tried to shoot me in the head._

Why am I always so… short and simple? I just like attacked everybody with news.

_Ezra: Aria! Are you ok?!_

_Hanna: He didn't hurt you, right?_

_Spencer: Are you ok?_

_Emily: Aria…_

_Aria: Guys, I'm fine._

_Spencer: U sure?_

_Hanna: Well as long as she doesn't have a bullet in her head…_

I laugh out loud at Hanna's bluntness.

_Aria: 3 down, 4 more to go._

_Hanna: 4? _

_Aria: Jason doesn't count._

_Ezra: Of course he does! He almost killed us!_

_Aria: But he saved me twice._

_Emily: Aria, please don't believe him. Just stay away from him._

_Spencer: u should listen to the others._

_Hanna: If that crazy bastard gets near any of us I'm going to kill him._

I angrily shove my phone into my pocket and ignore the vibrating. Their assumptions infuriate me. If Jason wanted me dead, I would have been dead a long time ago. I think he is confused. I text my mom and tell her that I got a ride and walk across the street to my house. I didn't want to be alone after what just happened, but I don't particularly want to talk to anyone anymore either.

Jason's POV

I've been following Aria secretly since I took her to the hospital to make sure nothing happens to her. I saw Lucas about to attack her so I had called the cops, but other than that, she appears to be fine. I've heard through gossip that Aria went deaf, and it explains a lot. I slump down in the seat of my car as I watch Aria walk across the street from Hanna's house to her own. My phone is ringing, and it's Noel. I don't want anything to do with the A team anymore, but I pick it up anyway. I want to know everything that is happening in it so I can keep Aria away from it.

"Hey." I say emotionlessly into the phone.

"I have another plan that might finally kill that Aria bitch." Noel says bluntly.

"What is it?" I ask a little too eagerly.

"You're going to do it." Noel says, and my stomach twists. "Here's what you have to do…"

**I know, I leave lots of cliffhangers! (sorry!) I'll update again soon. The A team just won't give it up, huh? My story may only have a few chapters left, I don't know for sure exactly yet. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**It's Friday, so as promised, here's a chapter! My writer's block has been so bad I couldn't even sit myself down at the computer. I finally pulled it together and wrote this chapter for you. Sorry if it sucks, I'm still halfway on writers block and I haven't written anything in like a week.**

Aria's POV

My life is starting to become a bit normal. I'm getting used to being deaf and A actually hasn't bugged us in a few days. I'm walking to the cafeteria for lunch because the bell just rang. I'm really excited to try something, so I text the girls to meet me. I buy a salad and water and slide into my usual seat at our usual table. I sit and eat in silence for only a minute before the girls join me. Spencer holds out her phone and it says "What's up?"

I smile and write on my pad. I finish scribbling and perch the pencil behind my ear before turning the pad and sliding it across the table with one hand while taking a bite of salad with the other. After the girls read, they pass the pad back and nod. I take a deep breath and try to remember how we used to lip read in class way back when I got kidnapped the first time. How was that only like a month ago? I snap my full attention back to Spencer's face and she says a word. I take the pencil from behind my ear.

"You have to do something harder than my name." I write and show them with a smile. Spencer grins and says something. I carefully watch her mouth movements and process. The first word started with a sound that looked like a b or a p. the rest looked like est. I ask her to repeat and slowly complete the puzzle. I go the second word and immediately recognize it as 'friends'. That means the first word had to be best, not pest. Knowing that the first words are best friends I already know the last word.

"Best friends forever?" I write on the pad and hand it to Spencer. They all grin and nod excitedly. A huge wave of excitement and pride washes over me. _I can do this. _I motion for Hanna to give it a go and watch closely. Hanna says something and I figure it out almost immediately.

"Seriously, 'Ezra's hot?'" I ask Hanna on the pad and the girls crack up. I can totally do this. I could do this before, I can do this now. The girls and I turn it into a game and spend the rest of lunch playing it.

Jason's POV

I'm sitting in my car in the parking lot feeling sick to my stomach. Noel told me to just run Aria over when she comes out of the building because she won't hear me. I think about driving away until I come up with a plan that just might work.

Aria's POV

School is finally over. I'm walking out to the parking lot to drive home and I'm going alone because I need some time to just stay home and watch our new TV with captions. It's not as good as hearing it, but it's good enough. I hug my books to my chest as hastily step out into the middle of the parking lot just wanting to get into my car and go home.

Jason's POV

I pull out of my parking space right when Aria comes out of the building. I'm all ready to speed towards her and she steps into the parking lot without looking. Why does she have to make this harder for me? I get a text from Noel urging me to go. I press my foot down on the gas, but I also press my hand onto the wheel and honk like a maniac trying to get someone's attention, obviously not Aria's.

Ezra's POV

For once I finished all my grading during a planning period so I get to leave at the same time as Aria. I try to catch up to her. I walk outside and look around for Aria. My head snaps into the direction of someone honking their car horn like a maniac. I look over and see a car speeding out of control right at an unaware Aria. I drop my books and start to sprint across the parking lot. _Please let me get there in time._ I beg the universe. _And stop trying to kill my girlfriend!_ I add to the prayer. I leap out towards Aria at the last second.

Aria's POV

I'm just walking when something slams into me from behind me. I drop all my books and try to stop my fall, but I'm partially under someone. I am still in shock after smashing into the ground with someone smoothing me from above. I soon realize it's Ezra and start to sob, wrapping my arms around him tighter. _WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?_ I scream in my head.

Era's POV

I scramble off of Aria as quick as I can. She hugs me and I wrap my arms around her. I saved her. She's not gone. She's shaking uncontrollably between sobs. I check her for any broken bones and sigh in relief when I don't find any. I help Aria get up on her feet while she wipes away tears.

"Are you ok?" I ask, forgetting yet again that she can't hear. She nods and smiles. What?

"You can understand me?" I say it slowly because I know she must be lip reading. It makes sense considering how much she lip read in class before everything. The other girls rush across the parking lot and they all start frantically asking her if she's ok. She looks back and forth nodding while processing words. We walk back into the parking lot and pick up all of her books. I had her the pad and pencil. She quickly scribbles something and holds it out.

"This has to end." It says. I totally agree, but how? And then I come up with a genius plan.

**Sorry for the short chapter! Told you I have writer's block! I'll try and post more this weekend, but we'll see.**


End file.
